Many industries endeavor to manufacture their products under sterile process conditions. For some industries, sterile processing is desirable, for other industries it is necessity. Pharmaceuticals, biotechnical products, food, and even cosmetics are often manufactured in sterile environments to avoid contamination.
Manufacturing such products often requires connecting different processing units together. For example, reservoirs and storage vessels are connected to mixing and processing devices. Finished batches are transported to production equipment. New ingredients are added, and the batches are tested during manufacturing. Each time one component is connected to another, exposure to airborne bacteria and/or other contaminants at the connection points jeopardizes the sterility of the entire system. This may result in decreased quality and potentially unsafe or unusable products.
Typical sterile connection techniques may present disadvantages. One option is to transform an entire processing facility or zone into a clean room. This is expensive. Another option is to steam-sterilize every connection. This is time-consuming, and limits the types of materials available for the equipment and connections. Another option includes covering each connection point with a sterile membrane. The connections are placed together and the coverings are removed simultaneously in an attempt to simultaneously uncover a sterile connection. But as the membranes are removed, a non-sterile surface or edge may cross through the sterile boundary, exposing the connection and the system to debris and bacteria.
The present disclosure is directed at a method and apparatus designed to overcome these and other shortcomings.